Friday, July 29, 2011

Our last day in Little Rock, AR....I'd contacted Guy Lancaster, Editor for The Encyclopedia of Arkansas to see if I could drop by and bestow some gifts upon the Center and he was able to make it in (remember, he was cleaning up from storms and tornados a couple of days previous). So we gussied up, ate breakfast, packed the GMC Jimmie and headed over.

When we arrived, I checked with Guy before I unloaded the Jimmie. I went back out and loaded up- and things got quiet when I showed them the stuff. Guy, bless him, was practically running to get a release form! In the meantime, he sent over Chris Stewart, who is doing the transfer of tapes to digital format and Brian Robertson (darn, I can't remember his title!).

Maybe it was me, but I could see the reverence in their body language as they handled the posters and reel-to-reel tapes I brought them and as they noted the fine stitching on Charlie's shirt. I also showed them the rectifier tube and got a pose with them:

From left to right, that's Brian holding the box of tapes, Chris holding Charlie's bowling shirt, Guy holding one of the 45-year-old posters and me holding the tube.

I was honored to meet these folks, especially Guy, who made sure my entries of KAAY and KTHS history were properly edited before making it into the Encyclopedia of Arkansas. If you get a chance, please go by there and check out their facilities; many minds, both young and old are being shaped by the great things there! Thank you Guy, Chris and Brian for your hospitality and fervor you show for Arkansas history!

Well, I'd wanted to meet with Barry Mac, but work and travel scheduled clashed, so we went southward....to Pine Bluff and to meet Charlie Okle, friend of the blog and best friend of Tommy Riggs. As we got into Pine Bluff, we met at the local Walmart's McDonald's. My wife and daughter went shopping, of course, while Charlie and I visited. Charlie had some candid pics of Tommy Riggs goofing off as only Tommy could! He also promised to scan and send along these pictures, as we were enroute home...and these will be posted at a later date, thanks to Charlie Okle!

As we said our "see ya laters", I got my daughter to snap a picture of us as I presented Charlie with a poster:

Thank you, Charlie Okle, for taking the time to meet and spend time with me!

Thus was basically the end of my trip to Little Rock...we headed home and I was drained, emotionally and physically....but, there's more to come, as Jerry Sims has sent me other photos of the Tuesday leg of the trip, and I have pictures of other items, etc. that didn't "fit in" in these different day's formats...for lack of a better term.

1 comment:

There's one more thing to see in Little Rock, Arkansas before you leave, and it's a pretty big dam deal. Immigration is made for many reasons, including economic, political, family re-unification, etc. The Big Dam Bridge crosses the Arkansas River, about six miles from downtown Little Rock.